Wonder of Ireland - Week 3 - Discussion

[Amy Darvill]

Hand in hand with the literature that we talked about in week one, music and songs are a huge part of Irish culture. Much of the original poetry would have been oral tales and many of those tales ended up being songs, in a very self-feeding cycle of the arts. 

 

Beyond stories being put to music, instruments were part of the fundamental culture. Harps have been around for centuries and is the official symbol of Ireland. In fact, chieftains used to have their own personal harpist to entertain for them. When the time of chieftains faded away, the harpists took to traveling and performing on the road. Another fundamental instrument is the drum, with one of the most common ones being known as a bodhrán (pronounced as bow-rawn), which are these small handheld drums that are typically struck by a small stick or even the hand. They are still common place and will often show up at sporting events being carried by fans.

 

In fact, that's one thing that makes Irish music a part of the culture is still embued in their culture. It's not that uncommon for a singalong to start off in a pub and it's a common tool used to help spread the Irish language. TG Lurgan is one of the most wellknown of these schools, who take popular music and rewrite the lyrics into Irish to both teach and also just spread the beauty of the language with the wilder world.

 

Now as far as I could tell, Hozier is the only Irish artist who's songs they have retranslated, but he's far from the only Irish artist. If you only think of Irish Trad artists, you might be very surprised of what artists actually hail from the Green Island. The Cranberries, who are famous for their rock song "Zombie" are from Ireland, as are The Script (who are one of my favorites actually). 

 

And now I open the floor for you to talk about favorite Irish music, song or artist or both! Or you can ramble on about instruments. The floor is yours. 

Reply in 100 or more words for a chance to earn 15 diamonds. You can earn a second set of diamonds for a second post, as long as it's another 100 words, either in reply to another post or reviewing another song or artist or instrument or musical history.

 

Make sure to post by February 28th by 11:59 pm HOL time.

[Lex Green]

One of my closest (real life) friends plays the harp, but until reading this post I didn't know that they were associated with Ireland! I always admire harp players as there is so many things to concentrate on - personally, I play guitar and piano, and even the two piano pedals can be a bit complicated sometimes, so I can barely work out how my friend can cope with seven. I also didn't know The Script were Irish, although, to be fair, I know very little about them anyway, and I think the only song of theirs I know is 'Hall Of Fame.'

[Emily Spencer]

I absolutely adore Irish music and can honestly say that my tastes run the proverbial gamut from very traditional to contemporary.  The Irish Rovers and the Dubliners satisfy my love for traditional songs such as Molly Malone, The Unicorn Song, The Orange and the Green, etc.  Let me tell you, it doesn’t have to be St. Patrick’s Day for me to be blasting them while I work around the house.

 

Conversely, I also enjoy the more contemporary style as well.  I would argue with anyone that Enya has one of the purest voices ever, across any genre.  My friend turned me on to Celtic Woman a few years ago and while some of the original members have left and been replaced, they still rank as one of my favorite Celtic groups.  Another one of my favorite modern Irish musicians is Imelda May.  Think big band blues meets rockabilly.  If you’ve never listened to her, I would strongly recommend that you do so.

 

Sadly, I do not have any musical talents (other than a smattering of guitar), so I cannot contribute to the Irish musical scene at all.  Oh well, I sing loudly enough to the songs of others so that may account for something at least

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Anyone mentioning an Irish artist, a singer, and my immediate response is 'Enya'. ( Well, a close second is River Dance, the whole thing, and particularly some of the songs in there and the whole musical written by Bill Whelan but .. that can be for another post!   .)  Enya is quite the prolific and talented song writer, as well as singer.

 

 

Quote

 

Who writes the songs for Enya?

[Answer]

Like everything she has ever done, it is instantaneously recognisable as the work of the three people that have always toiled to make Enya Enya: producer Nicky Ryan, his lyricist wife Roma, and the woman herself, who writes all the music, sings the songs, and publicly fronts the project.

 

 

Enya came to my attention after she was already quite a well established artist; I think my absolute favorite album of hers is Enya (also it seems to have another name - The Celts). Enya - The Celts    Watermark is also another great favorite album, along with Paint the Sky with Stars. 

 

Also, Enya sang the closing song (May It Be) for the first movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring.

[Harry Walles]

Paul David Hewson, also known as Bono, was born on 10 May 1960 and is regarded as one of the best and most successful singers of all time. He was born in Dublin, Ireland. I have never been a fan of Bono but I do remember liking one or two songs by U2. U2 was a band formed by Bono and it has its origins in Ireland making it an Irish band in a way. U2 has collaborated with many other famous musicians, including Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Luciano Pavarotti, Green Day, Kylie Minogue and fellow Irish artist - Sinead O'Connor.

[Louis Walles]

 

I have to admit I have never heard about this artist so I decided to research her. Enya was born as Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, who is known for creating Celtic music in the modern way. She was born in a small town called Gweedore, which is, you guessed, in Ireland. Her birthday also falls in May (to be precised 17th May 1961). Her family is full of musicians, and her dad had a band called Slieve Foy Band. What a bizarre coincidence this is! She is a best-selling Irish solo artist and the second-best-selling Irish musical act overall after the rock band U2.

[Harry Walles]

Sinead O'Connor was born in Glenageary in Dublin on 8 December 1966. She was named Sinéad after Sinéad de Valera, the wife of Irish President Éamon de Valera, Marie after the mother of the doctor presiding over the delivery, and Bernadette in honour of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. She is the third of five children; her siblings are novelist Joseph, Eimear, John, and Eoin. Throughout her music career she has been unabashedly honest about her spiritual journey, activism, socio-political views, as well as her trauma and mental health struggles.  In 2017, O'Connor changed her name to Magda Davitt. After converting to Islam in 2018, she changed it to Shuhada' Sadaqat. However, she continues to record and perform under her birth name.

[Louis Walles]

Andrew John Hozier-Byrne was born 17 March 1990 in Bray, Ireland. He is mostly known as Hozier. He is an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He began writing songs at the age of 15. He taught himself guitar and sang in his school choir. His music primarily draws from folk, soul, and blues, often using religious and literary themes. He had his international breakthrough after releasing his debut single "Take Me to Church", which has been certified multi-platinum in several countries, including Ireland. This song made me really like his music and I have to admit I am his huge fan.